Easter Classic 5K

On Saturday morning I ran the PVTC Easter Classic 5K with my friends Allison and Cheryl. My main goal was to celebrate Allison's birthday at brunch and she just happened to be running this race, so Cheryl and I joined her. My original plan had been to run my last long run before Boston on Saturday, but it was easy enough to move that long run to Sunday, and just run it slower if my legs were tired from the race.

I got to the race in what I thought was plenty of time to get my bib and warm up. But I ended up not having enough time to warm up. This was mostly due to the fact that the timing chip (a new system for this race organizer) was attached to the bib in a plastic bag and that bag kept falling off while I was warming up. 

I had to keep re-pinning the plastic bag to the bib and the bib to my shirt to make it stay. Before I knew it, it was time to start the race and I had only warmed up for 1.3 miles, at a slow pace. No time for strides or faster running like I had planned at the end of the warm up. 

I really didn't care too much about this race so I wasn't bothered by it. The weather was absolutely perfect: 41 degrees, sunny, and no wind. The last time I ran this race in 2019 with Cheryl it was 70 degrees with nearly 100% humidity. Easter was April 20th that year, so that partially explains the warmer temps. 

The race course was the W&OD trail in Arlington, around mile marker 4. The first half is uphill and then you turn around to run downhill.

Mile 1:
The race started and because it was cool and I hadn't run faster than a 9:00 pace during my warm up I had a hard time getting going. This was made worse by the fact that the first mile was uphill and the trail had some bumps in it to weave around. I was struggling quite a bit, but my legs just would not go as fast as I wanted them to. 

It was a small race and there was one woman ahead of me. She looked to be about 10 seconds ahead-- and I thought I might be able to pass her in the second half, but I wasn't going to try yet. I ended up running a 6:40 mile.

Mile 2:
This mile had a somewhat steep hill, then a turnaround and then back down. But even with a downhill second half, I was still not moving at the pace I thought I could be moving at. Part of the problem was the sun glare. The way the sun was hitting my face and low in the sky, I could not see the trail in front of me. And because there were bumpy areas, I wanted to have a clear view. So I ran parts of this mile with my hand at my head, acting like a visor. Note to self: bring a visor next time! 

The best thing about this mile was that Cheryl stopped to take a video of me running and to cheer. I had not been expecting that! She was using this as a training run, so she didn't mind stopping. This mile clocked in at 6:38. 

Mile 3:
My tempo runs lately have been around 6:35, so I wasn't even hitting that during this 5K. Which meant I knew I had a lot left in me for this mile. So I pretty much started sprinting as soon as that mile started. I blew by the woman who was ahead of me at around 2.5 and also passed some of the men. I had so much energy due to my legs not cooperating in the first half of the race.

I ran a 6:08 mile according to Garmin and 6:03 according to Strava! A new record for the fastest mile in a 5K! And I continued to sprint the last 0.13 at a 5:50 pace and was the first female finisher, 3rd overall finisher. 

After the Race
I then waited for Cheryl and Allison to come in and I cheered for them. We all won chocolate bunnies! And then we celebrated Allison's birthday at brunch.

Their new timing system didn't seem to work as well as they hoped, and that's okay. This was a super low-key race and I love that PVTC does this series. My official time was 20:14, making this my 4th fastest ever 5K. I'm most proud of my final mile in 6:08 or 6:03 and the fact that I was able to really gun it after a sluggish start. 

The day after the race (Sunday) was Easter and I was able to run 17.4 miles with plenty of energy. My legs were tired from the race, so I kept the pace easy, but it was a beautiful morning with very few cars on the roads. 

We are now two weeks out from the Boston Marathon and I feel really well prepared. I've run two 20-milers, a 17.4-miler and a 16 miler. My weekly mileage has ranged from 50-64. 

Final Thoughts

• Primary goal of spending time with friends achieved! 
• Felt great to be the female winner
• I was happy with my push during the final mile
• 5Ks that start uphill when it's cold need more of a warm up
• Greg stayed home because this was a girls' thing!
• I want to eat that chocolate bunny, but he's so cute.

Run the Greenway 5K

Yesterday morning I ran the "Run The Greenway" 5K in Dulles, VA. They close down the Dulles Greenway (which is a major highway) so runners can run a 5K or 10K. This race is relatively new; last year was the inaugural event. It was on my radar last year but I was injured, so I was excited to do it this year.

Post-Covid Heart Issues
As I discussed in my last post, my heart rate has consistently been 10 beats per minute higher on all of my runs, but without any difference in effort. For example, a 7:00 mile still feels like a 7:00 mile, but my heart rate is 10 BPM faster. 

I saw a cardiologist and he explained that this was not a heart issue, rather an issue with the autonomic nervous system. This article explains it in depth. He said that I was in no danger of heart issues if I ran at 100% effort. And he advised me to train as usual and run 5K races to "train" my autonomic nervous system back to where it was pre-Covid. He advised that I run the first 5K at 85-90% effort and based on that, I could try to go 100% at the next one. 

My legs recovered relatively quickly from Boston, so I was able to jump into speed work just 10 days later. My first workout was 8 x 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy. I was surprised at how fast I was running by the end of the workout and I definitely got my heart rate up! My next workout (this past Tuesday) was 8 x 400m with 200m recovery jogs. With only 200m to recover, there isn't a ton of time for the heart rate to come down. I ran those at around 1:32-1:33 and definitely could have pushed harder. Once again, I was surprised at my speed because I had believed myself to be out of shape. 

Race Morning Logistics
Greg's marathon is in three weeks, so he had a 22-miler on the schedule. (I am his coach!). I assumed I would be on my own for this race. But last night we talked through multiple scenarios. I definitely did not want to wake him up because he needs all the sleep he can get right now. Thankfully the race was only a 15 minute drive from our house. So, the scenarios were:

1.  He wakes up early enough to leave the house with me at 6:30. Watches me race, and then runs 22 miles back home. 
2.  He wakes up early enough to leave the house by 7:15. Dives to the race in a separate car, in time to see me finish, and then runs the 22 miles from the race back home
3. He doesn't wake up in time to leave the house by 7:15 and he runs the 22 miles starting from our house.

I woke up naturally at 4:00am and couldn't fall back asleep. I had a banana and some almond butter pretzels at 5:30. I got ready for the race and left the house at 6:30. Greg was still asleep when I left, so I doubted I would be seeing him. 

I arrived to the race, parked the car and sat in it for about 10 minutes. No text messages from Greg, so I was fairly certain he would not be coming to the race.

Weather
It was pouring down rain, 50 degrees, and windy. Brrrr! I decided it would be best to wear long compression shorts, arm warmers and gloves. When it's 50 and sunny (like it was in Boston) I am in a crop top, short shorts, no arm sleeves or gloves. Rain and wind make a huge difference. On my race weather scale this gets a 4/10. Most people would probably give it a 1/10 because the rain was so heavy. I actually preferred this weather to something like 60 degrees and 100% humidity. It was miserable before and after the race, but during the race, I appreciated the cool temps. 

I ran a rainy 5K on New Year's Day that was 55 degrees. Yes, my New Year's Day race was WARMER than a race in May! How odd!

Before the Race
I ran around the start area (you couldn't get on the course) for 1.8 miles, pausing to re-tie my shoes and go to the bathroom. I had a rain jacket on for the warmup that I planned to put in the gear check area while running. I would have just stashed it in my car, but I needed a place to put the car key, so gear check it was!

Someone commented on how they liked my shoes: the ASICS Metaspeed Edge. I had just received these shoes from Road Runner Sports on Tuesday, and I had only done 1 test run in them for half a mile. So, this race would be the true test run. I heard about these shoes from Cris, did some research, and realized they would be a great 5K shoe:

• I like to feel the road beneath my feet in a 5K, and other carbon fiber plate shoes are too cushy for that; I wanted something firmer. The ASICS Metaspeed Edge is firmer than most carbon fiber plate shoes.
• This shoe is designed for people with a naturally high cadence; it's supposed to increase your stride length as you speed up. I have an insanely high cadence and an insanely short stride length, so this seemed like a perfect match.
• There is more traction on this shoe than the adidas Adios Pro, which was essential in a rainy race.

About 15 minutes before the start, I put my rain jacket in a plastic bag and left it at gear check. And I had a caffeinated Maruten gel. It was COLD without that jacket and I probably could have gone another 5 minutes before ditching it. 

I made my way to the start where people were gathered under an overpass to stay as dry as possible. The rain was coming down in buckets. 

Mile 1: 6:44
The race started and a few women bolted out ahead of me. My plan was take it relatively easy during the first half of the race with the headwind and then speed up during the second half with the tailwind. I was running a relaxed and controlled effort and about halfway through the first mile I had passed all the women who had bolted out ahead of me. At this point I felt like I was running somewhere between 10K and 10 mile race effort. This mile was flat and there were no turns and the biggest challenge was the headwind (about 10-12 mph).

Mile 2: 6:55

I increased the effort slightly but due to some inclines my pace slowed. Also, at the turnaround I noticedthat there was at least 20 seconds between me and the 2nd place female so I wasn't entirely motivated to kick it into a high gear. I was feeling good and was now running at about 80% effort so I kept at it. The great thing about turning around was seeing all of the other people on the way out. This race had over 1,000 runners in the 5K and 10K and so many people were cheering for me, and telling me I was the first female. Normally when people cheer for me in races I don't have the energy to wave or acknowledge it, but this time I totally did.

Mile 3: 6:20

Somewhere around the third mile marker I passed a guy who I had been running directly behind for most of the race. I decided it was "go time" with just 1 mile left and the wind at my back. I would have guessed I was running around a 6:30 pace so I was surprised at how much I was able to pick it up. The outbound running group kept cheering for me and it felt like the final stretch of the Boston Marathon. I focused on enjoying my moment, remembering that this is the best part of running. This moment is what all that training is for! I was now running at about 90% effort; I still didn't feel like I was dying as I typically do at the end of a 5K. 

The final 0.12: 6:01 pace
As I approached the finish, I saw Greg's bright blue jacket, which I knew he'd be wearing. And I was waiting for finish line tape to appear, but it never did! I wanted to yell at them to get that tape up, but alas-- no tape! Greg took some great finish line photos, but they are no different from other finisher photos when I am not the winner. 

My official time was 20:43, which was about what I expected going into this race. I expected I would have had to work harder for it though. If I didn't have a Garmin and I had to guess my time, I would have tacked on about 20-30 seconds. So it means I am fitter than I thought, or that the shoes are really magical!

There were 458 women in the 5K, which means this is the largest race I have ever won!

First Place! Where's the tape!?

After the Race
I cooled down by running to my car with Greg. He put the camera away and we returned to the race area to get my award. As we were getting back to the race, we noticed that the 10K female winner got to break tape! 

I asked a race official when the awards ceremony would be, and they said it was going to be at 8:45. I asked if I could get my award sooner so I wouldn't have to wait that long, but they told me I needed to wait. I also asked about the finish line tape and they were surprised that there was none. "You didn't get tape?" they asked. So then they offered to hold up the tape while someone took photos. But I couldn't find Greg at this point (he was running around the parking lot as part of his long run). So the announcer took a video of me running through the tape, but there are loads of walkers in the background. . . so it definitely looks fake. But later I found the photos that the race photographer took of the staged breaking and they are pretty good:

Even though it was disappointing to not break tape, I didn't want that to overshadow the joy of winning such a large race. Many of my Instagram followers were outraged by this, and I agree that it definitely was a big oversight on the part of the race. I don't think it was intentional- I just think the tape holders didn't realize that they needed to be on the lookout for the first female, and then they corrected themselves for the 10K. But as I said. . . I wasn't going to let the lack of tape ruin my "high" of winning. I chose not to focus on it too much and I ended up photoshopping tape onto the picture I posted to my Instagram!

I found Greg after the staged tape breaking and he was worried that we wouldn't be able to leave his car in the parking lot for the duration of his run. So we both got into our cars and drove to a parking lot nearby. He parked his car, gave me the key, and began his 22-mile run home. I drove back to the race so I could get my award. 

I parked the car, left my phone in the car, and started walking to the awards area. I realized, though, that I was extremely cold so I should probably run there even though it was a very short distance- only a quarter of a mile. 

When I arrived to the site of the awards ceremony, I stopped running and asked someone for the time. She said it was 8:41. I knew the ceremony was going to start at 8:45 and somehow I felt like it would be impossible for me to wait until 8:45. I started to tell her that I needed my award now, even though she was a runner and not involved in race management. I wanted to explain to her that it was urgent that I get my award ASAP because I couldn't stand the cold any longer. That's when I stopped being able to talk. I wanted to talk, but no words would come out. 

Suddenly a bunch of people were all around me calling "medical!" and I was really embarrassed. I didn't want medical - I wanted my award so I could leave. But I wasn't able to talk so I couldn't communicate to any one. They tried sitting me down on a chair, which I later realized was a blanket on the ground. And then things got hazy, and then I was in the back of an ambulance. The entire time, I was hoping I would be able to get my award.

I was unable to talk and when I finally was able to get words out, I sounded like a mentally disabled person. I could only do one syllable at a time. It turns out I had hypothermia and the EMTs were taking my vitals and trying to determine how severe it was. They wanted to take me to the hospital but I refused. I knew I would be fine once I warmed up. 

This had happened to me twice before: at the NJ marathon in 2009 and the Sugarloaf marathon in 2019. In New Jersey, the medical people pulled me out of the finish line chute, sat me down in a wheelchair and rolled me off. The entire time I wanted to ask them why, but I couldn't talk. Apparently I looked hypothermic when crossing the finish line.

I was in the back of the ambulance for what seemed like forever. My blood oxygen was low and they couldn't get a read on my body temperature, despite trying multiple times in multiple locations. I kept refusing the hospital, and once I was able to talk more normally they were okay with my decision. Then I started shivering pretty violently, which was apparently a good thing because when you have severe hypothermia, you lose your ability to shiver. So I was shivering with blue hands and blue lips, but feeling better nonetheless. 

As for my award, the EMTs asked around, but couldn't find anyone who knew where it was. I had of course missed the awards ceremony and the EMTs were too busy treating me to get it during the ceremony. Oh well- I think they will mail it to me. I don't even know what it is, but I want it! I can't believe I got hypothermia and went through that whole experience, just for an award that is going to be mailed home anyway. 

After a while, I started feeling normal and the EMTs were okay letting me drive home once they saw me stand and walk normally. They drove me to my car, and I felt much better. I turned the heat up to 76 degrees and drove 15 minutes home. I promptly got into a warm bathtub, which felt like heaven. 

A few hours later, Greg returned home from his 22-miler and we had some interesting stories to exchange! (We later drove back to get his car. . . what a day!)

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
What a high to win a large 5K like that! But it was a quick comedown with no tape to break, no award and 30 minutes in the back of an ambulance. As for the race itself, it was a fast course, well-organized and lots of fun.

I didn't run at 100% effort. Miles 1-2 were 75-80% effort, and the last mile was about 90% effort. My average heart rate for the last mile at a pace of 6:20 was 176. In Boston, I was running a pace of 7:45 and I was at 176. So maybe I have started to normalize my heart rate. Or maybe the cold rain prevented the monitor from getting an accurate reading. It felt like my heart rate should have averaged in the high 170's, let's say 178, for the last mile. For the final 0.12 it averaged 175, and I would have expected that to be in the low 180s. Interesting, I am not sure what to make of all this. 

The good news is, I ran a 20:43 5K, won the race, and was definitely not running at 5K effort! I'm also really encouraged by how smooth and controlled that last 6:20 mile felt. It wasn't even a downhill mile- it was only aided by a tailwind. 

There was a timing mat at the turnaround, and my splits were 10:40 for the first half (6:52 pace) and 10:04 for the second half (6:29 pace). That's a 36- second difference! HUGE for a 5K. I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me wishes I had pushed a little hard in the first half, but the other part of me knows I ran the effort that my doctor had suggested and I executed as planned. I guess it just leaves me wondering what I could have done. And as I said earlier, both sections were equal elevation-wise; the big difference was the headwind and tailwind. 

I used Photoshop to add the tape!

I'll plan to run my next 5K harder, but chances are that the heat and humidity will begin to creep in and impact things. Even though today's weather was nasty, I don't think it slowed me down too much. Carrying extra water weight in my shoes and having a headwind maybe added a few extra seconds, but because I run so much faster in the cold, it was a net positive. I can see myself struggling more in a 60-degree humid race.

I don't think I would have gotten hypothermia if I had driven home immediately after my cool down. It was all the waiting around in wet clothes that did me in. If I had known I was going to wait so long post-race, I would have brought a warm, dry change of clothes and immediately shedded the wet running gear. Lessons Learned! 

I'm super optimistic about this result and more energized than ever to run another 5K! 

Fort Hunt 5K Race Recap

I just couldn't think of a creative title for this one. I'm tired! I ran the Fort Hunt 5K this morning in Alexandria, VA. Last year, Greg and I ran the 10K course at this same race.

The course is a 1.2 mile loop with gently rolling inclines and declines. Nothing too steep or long. The 10K is 5 laps exactly. The 5K is two laps, plus a little extra. The course is nicely shaded but that didn't matter because it was an overcast day.

Before The Race
Amazingly, I woke up just 1 minute before my alarm went off. I almost always wake up at least half an hour before my alarm on race morning, but that wasn't the case today. I was happy to maximize my sleep and not get woken up by an alarm!

My first order of business was to drink some Maurten Drink Mix 160. Instead of having actual food to fuel a 5K race, I drink this mix as it's easier on my stomach. I had about 2/3 of the packet. After that, I got dressed and spent 5-10 minutes with my massage ball on the glutes. My physical therapist has told me it's the best way to get my glutes to activate. I also used "the stick" to massage my calves. I felt ready.

The race started at 8:00 and we left our house at 6:30 which ended up being perfect. It was a 40-minute drive during which we both needed to use the bathroom. It's not race morning if you don't need to use the bathroom every 10 minutes! We arrived at 7:15, used the bathrooms, got our bibs, and pinned them on. 

We warmed up for about 15 minutes, during which time I took a caffeinated Maurten gel. I like to take that about 20 minutes prior to the start of a 5K so the caffeine has time to kick in, but the energy doesn't wear off while I'm still running. The downside is that it makes my stomach a little uneasy at the start line when combined with race jitters. 

It was 69 degrees with a dew point of around 63, overcast with a light breeze. Average weather for this time of year so I can't complain. It did, however, feel way muggier than a 63 dew point - I would have guessed at least 95% humidity. The air felt thick and I didn't feel like I could get good clean breaths. 

I wore a sports bra and spandex shorts along with my Adidas Adios Pro shoes. 

Goals and Strategy
Since I had had success not looking at my Garmin during my previous two 5Ks, I figured I would take the same approach. At the Nags Head 5K 3 weeks ago, my average pace was 6:54 and my time was 21:11, because the course measured short on my Garmin. I was hoping to run sub 21:00 today, even with a non-short course. Goals are really just "hopes" when you aren't pacing with a Garmin - you run your hardest and you hope you meet your goal! 

Mile 1:
For the first mile, we did an out-and-back that was about 1/3 of a mile each way, and then proceeded to begin our two laps around the circle. The race is organized by Bishop's Events, which puts on races nearly every weekend in VA/DC/MD area. They held all of their races throughout Covid and did a great job with their organization. 

When I hit the turnaround about 3 minutes into the race, it was nice to have the race director say "good morning, Elizabeth." I replied back with a quick "hi!".

Greg had shot out much faster than me, as usual. In terms of women, my main competition was a little girl who looked like she was no more than 10 years old. She was serious looking and was there with (who I assumed to be) her brother, who ended up winning the 5K. She had amazingly good form and you could tell she was as tough as nails. 

I was very tempted to look at my pace on my watch, but I practiced good restraint and instead focused on running with good form and keeping a positive mindset. I passed the little girl about a mile into the race. Since I wasn't looking at my watch, I don't know for sure, but I hadn't heard it beep for 1 mile yet as I passed her. 

My split was 6:53 for this mile, but I had no idea what it was at the time.

Mile 2:
The race started to feel hard and I had to chase negative thoughts out of my head. I continued to resist the urge to look at my pace. I had memories of the 10K from last year and I remembered how I kept getting faster and faster as the race progressed. I wanted the same thing to happen today. I felt strong, but it was definitely hard!

As I mentioned above, this course is a loop. Thus, to run the tangents, you must run as close to the inside of the loop as possible. I didn't do a great job of this because I was frequently passing other runners (most of them 10K runners, as the 10K started earlier than the 5K). Split: 6:50

Mile 3:
During this mile I finally allowed myself to look at my watch. My average pace was about what I expected it to be, but I didn't judge it and stayed emotion neutral. With one mile left to go, I realized I could kick it into high gear without the fear of bonking and that's exactly what I did. Split: 6:36.

The Finish:
I gunned it to the finish at an average pace of 6:14 for 0.17 miles according to my Garmin. As I said above, I did not do a great job of staying on the inside of the circle. Greg's Garmin had him at 3.14. My official time was 21:23.

I was the first female finisher, and that felt awesome. Granted, there were only 30 women in this 5K but a win is a win! The second place female was the little girl who ran 24:02.

Greg ran a time of 20:30, which would have been faster if he didn't stop to tie his shoe. Despite the stop, he was the 3rd place male. 

After the Race
Greg and I collected our awards and then ran a 10-minute cool down. We were hoping to visit the horse who lived in a stable along the course, but the horse was out in his pasture and not in the stable. We chatted with the male winner (the brother of the little girl) who, at age 14, ran a time of 17:42. WHOA! He was frustrated at having been recently injured and therefore not close to his PR, but man - when you are 14 years old and running that kind of time, you have an amazing future ahead of you!

After the cool down Greg and I went out for crepes to celebrate. I got one with smoked salmon and one with bananas and brown sugar. 

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I have mixed feelings on this. There are plenty of positives here:

• I won the race
• My average pace per mile was 10 seconds faster than the 5K from 3 weeks ago
• I had a massive negative split
• Achilles held up great!
• This was a great workout

However, the perfectionist in me cannot help but feeling a little "meh" at this. I used to be able to run a sub 21:00 5K no problem. Even with humidity. Even on a course where I didn't run perfect tangents. I

actually thought that sub 21 would be a soft goal, but apparently it was not. 

Part of me feels frustrated with my fitness, and that I'm not coming back as quickly as I did from my bouts of mono. I am running a half marathon in 4 weeks and I feel utterly unprepared! My coach and I agreed that I needed to come back slowly and conservatively and so there hasn't been much speed work in my training. And I can't expect to run a blazing fast 5K with just a few workouts under my belt. So logically, I am right where I should be. But that doesn't mean I'm not getting impatient! 

Another takeaway is that I should have started more aggressively. My fear of bonking and not knowing what pace I was running meant I was perhaps too conservative during the first two miles. 6:53, 6:50, 6:36 indicates that I probably had a faster time in me. The elevation profile for each mile was roughly the same. I'll bet if they moved the finish line to make this a 4-mile race, I could have run the same overall pace.

So. . . to look at the Garmin or not? I don't know. I definitely want to "feel" my way through a race and not be a slave to the watch. But at the same time, if I had seen a 6:53 pace during that first mile, I probably would have pushed a little harder with the confidence of knowing I wasn't going to bonk.

Anyway, I will continue to trust the process, try to be patient, and be grateful that cooler weather is on the horizon!

PVTC Easter Classic 5K: Hopping Along

I haven't blogged about my racing plans for the rest of the spring, but I do have them! With only 4-6 weeks of potentially cool mornings left, my coach and I decided I should sign up for some shorter races. Today, April 20, had the potential to be cool given that it's still early spring. So I had registered for a 5K. But alas, it was 67 degrees and humid as hell.

A few weeks ago, I registered for the BEST Kids 5K-- a race that two of my friends were running. This is a small race that I have won in the past on a very fast course. As the race approached, the

forecast started to look worse and worse. On Thursday I determined that it would be too warm and humid to race it at full effort, given my immune system issues. I have struggled with a mono-like virus for 3 out of the past 6 summers and I am almost positive the virus comes on as a reaction to racing in the heat. So I made the decision to run it as a tempo run, and I figured I still could potentially win the race at that.

Which race to run?

The evening before the race, my friends and I realized that the course was flooded. There had been no word from the race director about cancelling the race, but it seemed suspect. One of the two friends, Cheryl, decided to sign up for the PVTC Easter Classic 5K, just 10 minutes away from the original race. So, I followed suit and registered for it too. This race does not offer on-site registration, so we needed to sign up the night before. The other friend, Allison, decided to stick with the BEST Kids race no matter what. She said she would come cheer for us if it was cancelled.

When I woke up this morning and checked my weather app, there was a flood warning for the exact area of the course. It sounded like the course would not be run-able based on the description in the warning. But yet, we hadn't gotten a cancellation email from the BEST Kids race director. So, about 90 minutes before the race start, we finally decided to run the PVTC Easter Classic. We would meet up with Allison for brunch afterwards.

Before the race

Once Cheryl and I settled on PVTC via text message, Greg and I drove down to Arlington. Greg would not be running the race, but cheering and taking photos. Once we arrived, we found Cheryl and began the warm up. Cheryl, Allison, and I all had the exact same running outfits so we all matched. It was too bad Allison wasn't there, but Cheryl and I represented the red shorts with rabbits along the waistband. Perfect for easter!

These PVTC races are small and not chip-timed, but sometimes they can be competitive. I thought I could still potentially win, but I obviously wasn't sure. This was a crowd of "runners" who run races often, whereas the other race was a charity event that was most participants' only race of the year. I decided I would still try to win, unless some woman or women went speeding ahead of me at the beginning.

We warmed up on the course, which was the W&OD trail. I was familiar with it, as I had run this portion of the trail before work one morning back in January. On that day, the roads near my house were covered in snow and ice, but just 15 miles closer to the city, on this section of the trail, it was clear for running.

Two other fun goals: 

1. Run faster than my 5K split for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler (21:35)

2. Run faster than the New Year's Day 5K, which was also warm and humid, and on a different portion of the same trail. (21:35)

My hope was that I could win, run under 21:35, and get negative splits all while running no harder than tempo effort, to protect my fragile immune system.

Mile 1: 7:02

Mile 1

The race started and I decided to ease into it. I ran right next to Cheryl so that Greg would be able to snap photos of us in the same shot. He was standing about 1/4 mile past the start line. Once we passed Greg, I turned on the gas a little bit. I knew that the first half of the race was net uphill and the second half was net downhill. I wanted to conserve my energy for the second half so I could run a negative split and feel good running faster. This is not my normal 5K approach as I typically go out hard.

Mile 2: 6:55

After the first mile, I was already feeling the impact of the humidity. I felt suffocated and like I wasn't breathing clean air. I guess allergies are really bad right now, too, with several types of pollen and ragweed out. And we were running on trail surrounded by trees. At the turnaround, I saw that Cheryl was in second place and nobody was tailing me closely, so I continued to run conservatively. It was mentally a relief to be heading back toward the finish, knowing the second half was mostly downhill.

Mile 3: 6:50

My original plan was to really gun it and try to be around 6:40 or faster, but as I was doing it, I saw no need! I was working hard, I was winning, and I was by no means "comfortable". I was running solid tempo effort so I knew this workout would help in future races. 

Last bit: 6:17 pace

As I approached Greg and the finish line, I sprinted in with a big smile on my face.  

I watched as Cheryl finished in second place, looking really strong! After we recovered, we cooled down for about a mile and a half.

My official time was 21:33, so I officially met all my goals. The good news is that this race felt much better than New Year's Day-- although I was on the verge of getting sick on New Year's and I started out much faster there. My award was a chocolate Easter bunny! 

After Cheryl and I gathered our awards, we (plus Greg) met up with Allison for brunch. We celebrated with mimosas, like we usually do. Allison ended up winning her race, and we were thrilled for her!

Next weekend I will be running the MUCH more competitive Pike's Peek 10K. At this point, I am going to try and run a PR because the weather is looking decent (mid 50s). My 10K PR is my oldest PR and I think I can beat it if the weather is favorable. I'll take on the 5K distance again in May!

Run! Geek! Run! 5K Race Report

After having run three races as training runs this summer, I was itching to race something full-out. Since getting sick for six weeks last June (combined with my history of summer illness) my new rule is to not fully exert myself in warm and humid weather. But today it was finally cool enough to race!

This race has been on my schedule since July. I knew I would want a "comeback" 5K once the weather got cooler, basically just to practice racing again, so this was it. This race used to be an 8K in

Washington DC. Now it's a 5K in Alexandria, VA. I ran the 8K back in 2011 and really enjoyed it, so I figured I would check out the 5K.

On Monday of this week, the weather for the race was looking iffy. The forecast called for 70 degrees with 95% humidity. I briefly contemplated bailing out, but decided I wouldn't make any decisions until the forecast solidified. As the week progressed, the temperatures dropped, and rain crept its way in.

In terms of goals, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. On the one hand, I hadn't been doing any 5K-specific workouts. I had two hill sprint sessions under my belt and a few short fartlek sessions (timed road intervals). But that was it. My hard workouts had been primarily focused on building lactate threshold, running between marathon pace and half marathon pace. None of these workouts were good race predictors, particularly at the 5K distance. My best-case-scenario goal was to be very close to my PR (20:17), but realistically I expected somewhere around 20:30. I definitely wanted to be sub 20:45, and probably would have been disappointed if I didn't hit that goal.

Before the Race
Race morning arrived, and I had everything set out as usual. I ate my typical english muffin with peanut butter, and mixed my UCAN with water to take 30 minutes before race start. Greg decided not to run this race, so he went as my cheerleader and photographer. When we were about 10 minutes

Warming up

into the drive, I realized I had left my UCAN on the kitchen counter. I had had it in my hand, but had briefly set it down and didn't pick it back up again. I was really frustrated with myself for this because I literally had the bottle in my hand right before we were about to leave. Oh well, I had run plenty of 5K races without UCAN before, and at least I had eaten my breakfast.

It was raining pretty heavily when we arrived. I didn't bring a top layer to warm up in and I was soaked waiting to get my bib. I pinned it on inside the car and soon it was time to warm up. Once I started running, I literally warmed up. It was about 62 degrees with a slight breeze. The rain let up slightly during my warm up and I hoped it would remain light throughout the race and not be coming down in buckets. I've raced two 5Ks in pouring rain and it definitely added an extra layer of challenge. I've also raced half marathons and full marathons in pouring rain, and I think it posed less of a challenge at those distances, because you're not going so fast that you worry about slipping on something.

I warmed up for 2.5 miles, which included some strides and drills. I then met up with my friend Cheryl, who was running, and Allison, who was spectating. We headed to the start line and started scoping out the field. Cheryl and I were the only two women up front, but we were soon joined by a woman in a Boston Marathon shirt.

Mile 1: 6:34
The race started and things felt pretty good. The course is mainly flat, with the first mile being a slight decline of 14 feet, according to Strava. I didn't have my normal "pep" off of the starting mat, so I

Mile 1

figured I would ease into my pace and just focus on staying relaxed. The woman in the Boston shirt shot out ahead and was probably about 10 seconds ahead of me. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking at the photos, I learned that I was running alongside another woman. About half a mile in, I realized that the Boston-shirted woman was running about my same pace, and wasn't widening the gap any further. When my Garmin beeped a 6:34 mile, I didn't really have any emotional reaction. Initially I had planned to go out at a pace of 6:28-6:30, but things felt hard enough.

Mile 2: 6:39
It was during this mile that I realized that I didn't have a lot of pep. I had a positive mindset and I was telling myself to push and reminding myself that I could run faster, but my body was locked in at the pace it was going, and I couldn't convince it to move any quicker. This course is an out-and-back and I slowed almost to a walk at the hairpin turn, due to the pavement being wet. Thankfully, the rain was pretty light, and not the downpour I had feared. I remained in second place throughout the mile and believed that my position was locked in.

Mile 3: 6:36

Heading toward the finish

Shortly after the second mile marker, the Boston-shirted girl ahead of me stopped running. She pulled off to the side for some reason. I continued on at my steady pace, still not able to convince myself to push any harder, and she resumed running about five seconds later. The gap between us was now a lot smaller-- probably 4-5 seconds. Still, I doubted I could catch her because I felt like I couldn't go any faster. I really wanted to catch her, but I didn't think it possible. But about half a mile later (about 2.5 miles into the race) she stopped again. I hated to be opportunistic since she was obviously hurting, but I figured since I was going to pass her, I might as well do it so quickly that if she were to start up again, she wouldn't believe that she could catch me. I somehow found another gear and pushed harder and ran faster as I passed her. She said something encouraging to me and I grunted back, as that's all the energy I had for communication.

I held a steady pace until about a quarter mile from the finish line. At that point, a spectator yelled that another woman was right behind me. Shoot! That meant I had to push harder, I simply had to! I wasn't going to lose the win in the last quarter mile. So, I somehow found it in me to rally more energy, which had previously been lacking, and I sprinted my way to a win in 20:34. I later learned that the second place female finished 8 seconds after me, and was not the woman in the Boston shirt who had stopped. According to my Garmin, I ran the last 0.13 at a pace of 5:52.

After the Race
I watched Cheryl finish about 30 seconds after me and then re-united with Greg and Allison. I then approached the Boston-shirted woman and asked her if she was okay. She said that she had just run the Berlin Marathon the previous weekend and was fighting an illness. She ended up placing third, which is a huge accomplishment considering she had to stop!

I then cooled down for two miles with Cheryl. We proceeded to collect our awards and then headed

Podium finish

for brunch. I won a bobble-head trophy and a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

Final Thoughts and Takeaways
I really wish I hadn't left my UCAN fuel at home. I lacked "pep" in this race, despite a significant taper and I think that's the culprit. However, I don't know for sure, and my result could have been the exact same if I had taken the UCAN.

I think that unless I am training specifically for a 5K, then I don't have the ability to shift into a really high gear- both mentally and physically. If this had been a four-mile race, I think my average pace would have been exactly the same. I felt like I could have continued on at that pace for quite some time, but I just couldn't bring myself to go much faster. I often feel this way in 5Ks when I am not training specifically for them. According to the McMillan calculator, this race predicts a 1:11:23 10-miler, but I'm pretty confident in my ability to run sub-1:10:00 in two weeks.

I don't have any training runs or races that indicate a sub-1:10:00 is possible, but my gut tells me I am in better shape now than when I ran my 1:10 PR in the spring of 2017. The 10-miler is also my sweet spot and the distance that I think I race the best.

It was a really nice pick-me-up to get a win and to break tape. Particularly after having taken so much time off this summer. But I'm still hungry. I'm hungry for 60+ mile weeks and PRs and the cool weather that makes those possible. I feel like I've been on the verge of being back in full swing for a while now, and I'm anxious to actually BE back in full swing.

The Competitor In Me

Lately I've been thinking about how I don't run to compete against others. I want to see progress in my own journey, I want to get faster and stronger, and if I happen to place well, that's just icing on the cake. I like passing people in races, but I'm typically more focused on my own race and pacing strategy. I won a 5K last February and I was disappointed because I didn't perform as well as I had hoped. The win was a nice consolation prize, but it hadn't been my main goal.

But today I realized that I am more competitive than I thought. I ran the Ringing In Hope 5K in Ashburn, VA. This was my second 5K of the season, with the first having been two weekends ago. Since I ran the Semper Fi 5K in 20:40, I've run 4 hard track workouts and a long run of 14.4 miles. I knew going into today's race that I was more "used to" running fast than I had been two weeks ago.

Before the Race
Greg and I arrived at the race about 50 minutes before it started, got our bibs and I drank my Generation UCAN. It was about 64 degrees and drizzling and I hoped that the light rain would stick around during the race. When it's that humid, I'd rather have the rain cooling me down. As we started our warm up, the rain tapered off and we realized it would be really humid for the race. I can't complain about the weather though. On Saturday and Sunday it was into the 70's by 8:00am, so overcast and 64 was relatively good considering the trend we've been on.

After our 2-mile warm up, we approached the start line and waited for the race to kick off. After the 5-minute early start at the Semper Fi 5K, I wanted to be sure I was at the start line in plenty of time. There were about 10 kids lined up at the very front. I would guess they were around 7-8 years old. By contrast, there weren't many adults lined up at the start and that's when I started sizing up the competition. I didn't see any women at the very front, but there were several a few rows back from me. I lined up behind the children, as there wasn't much choice.

Mile 1
The race started on time, and as soon as it did, one of the kids fell flat on his face as the other kids were trampling on him. I barely missed tripping over him and it wasn't pretty. I know that when you are a kid it's exciting to be at the front and all, but it's dangerous and it would probably be good for kids to learn pacing and patience. I was beaten by one boy in the 11 and under age group, but the rest of them fell behind pretty quickly.

I had never run this course before, even though I had run the race before. They've had this race at a number of different locations and since they moved it to this course I hadn't run it. I knew to expect gently rolling hills throughout and I was relieved that none of the hills were too steep. In cooler temps, this could be a fast course.

There were two women ahead of me, one of whom was wearing a long-sleeved sweat shirt. I don't like to judge a book by its cover but something told me she wouldn't be ahead of me for too long. When I got to the first mile marker, both women were still ahead of me, and I clocked in at 6:33.

Mile 2
Because I wasn't too familiar with the course profile, I didn't have an exact pacing strategy. That meant I wasn't looking at my Garmin often, and I was running more based on feel. The first mile felt comfortable and I knew I had set myself up for a strong finish by not going out too hard.

I passed the woman in the sweatshirt shortly after the first mile marker, and then I crept up on the other woman and passed her right around the halfway point. When I did, I felt like she sped up too and was going to put up a fight, but eventually I didn't hear her anymore. Meanwhile, I was still ahead of Greg. I had gone out faster than him and he hadn't passed me. I saw him at the turnaround and he looked to be about 20 seconds behind me. That's when I had just passed the other woman and had taken the lead, so he could see I was winning at that point.

My split for mile 2 was 6:36.

Mile 3
As I said earlier, I wasn't paying much attention to my Garmin. I was in the lead and all I could think about was how awesome it would be to win. I've run this race multiple times in the past and I never dreamed I could actually win it.

I was still feeling strong and confident as the mile progressed. But somewhere around 2.6 I could hear someone close behind me and it sounded like a woman. I did a quick glance back and sure enough there was a woman right on my tail. It wasn't either of the two women I had passed earlier; this woman had started out slower than me and had been gradually gaining on me throughout the race. And that was scary. I increased my effort slightly and I continued to hear her.

My desire to win became so strong that I found a new gear I didn't realize I had. At around 2.8 I started to surge until I could no longer hear her behind me. Right around the mile 3 marker I heard someone yell that she was really close behind me and that motivated me to run even harder. My mile 3 split was 6:33, and I didn't even look at my watch or notice the time.

The Finish
I heard someone say on a walkie talkie "First female coming through" and I knew they meant me. I was NOT going to lose it now. I turned a corner and saw a guy finish, and then they put up tape for me. I ran toward it like my life depending on it, and broke the take in complete ecstasy and agonizing pain. I did it. I won!

Turns out I ran the last 0.15 miles at an average pace of 5:35. That was fast enough to bring my overall Garmin pace down to 6:32, which is faster than any of my three mile splits!

I felt like I was about to pass out for the first minute so I didn't see Greg finish. It actually took me a good five minutes to be able to speak. It's never taken me so long to recover from a 5K. I felt like death for the next 15 minutes. And even though I was chatting away with the second place female, I felt like I could pass out at any moment. Finally I sat down on a bench and fully recovered.

The results were announced and I ran an official time of 20:30. But the results that were posted online after the race had me at 20:32. Not a big deal, I just don't understand why there would be a discrepancy. My Garmin had 20:32, but I stopped it a little late given that I was busy breaking tape when I crossed! :-) I found out that the second place female was only four seconds behind me. What a close race! I am so happy I didn't ease up the effort. When I won the 5K in February I was a good bit ahead of #2, so it didn't feel like as much of a competition.

I walked away with gift cards to three different restaurants, as well as a gift card to Wegman's. And they are opening a Wegman's a mile away from me next weekend, so that was appropriate.

Takeaways
I definitely would not have run this race as fast if I didn't have competition. I think I would have been more focused on my Garmin and I wouldn't have had the motivation to push as hard during the last

half mile.

In terms of progress, I ran this race 10 seconds faster than I ran Semper Fi two weeks ago, and this course was hillier. I also executed it better in that I had even splits instead of slowing down at the end. I think I am starting to adjust to the humidity and my workouts have helped me transition from marathon fitness to 5K fitness.

And of course, I realized that I can be competitive when it comes to winning. I didn't think I would be so motivated when I felt another runner on my heels, but it did motivate me.

This was a fun race and I enjoyed the course and the atmosphere. I will likely do it again next year! Hopefully I will get the breaking tape photo soon so I can add it to the blog.

Kiss My Asphalt 5K

After missing my sub-20:00 5K goal by a fair bit on New Year's Day, I decided to make another attempt at breaking the barrier.

Based on my spring race schedule, this weekend was the best option. Races in February are slim pickings, and not really PR courses, so I found one in Fredricksburg (about an hour south) that seemed like it would be a good candidate for sub-20. The elevation profile on MapMyRun made the course appear like it was gently rolling the whole time with no major climbs. Even though the race would be small, the course was USATF certified.

MapMyRun elevation profile

On Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling abnormally tired and not like my peppy self. I observed that my resting heart rate (which I track with my FitBit) had been on the upswing for the past few days and was now at an all-time high of 50 bpm. Typically it's around 45. With the flu going around, I made sure to be extra careful about coming into contact with germs, started drinking more water, and taking more vitamins.

Thursday morning was the same story, but I ran in the evening by which time I was feeling more energized. On Friday, I woke up with an upset stomach and my 30-minute easy run felt really sluggish and heavy. Greg was also waking up with a dry throat and not feeling his best. I told myself that everything was fine, and I didn't speculate any impact on my race.

Before the Race
We arrived at the race site about an hour before the start. Greg was running the 10K, which started at 9:45, and I was running the 5K, which started at 10:00. We picked up our bibs and scoped out the course. Most notably, we could not find a start line. We found the finish line, but we knew that the race did not start and finish in exactly the same spot. This made the course net uphill, but not by a lot.

We knew that the race director would be providing instructions immediately before the race, so Greg and I warmed up and made it back to the start area shortly before 9:45. There were about 50 runners doing the 10K and 100 runners in the 5K. My weather app had said "rain starting at 10:30" so I expected that the rain would hold off until we were done. I debated wearing my hat anyway, but there wasn't even a drop in the sky so I left it in the car.

There was no actual start line. The race director told everyone where to stand and then he ran about 30 feet ahead and started counting down from 30 seconds. He had his phone in his hand, seemingly to communicate with the person starting the clock. At the end of his countdown, he yelled "go!" so that both the timer and the runners could hear him, hopped on his bike and led the pack of runners up a steep hill, out of the park and onto a paved path. The race was chip timed, but based on gun time as opposed to net time. However, with only 50 runners in the 10K and 100 runners in the 5K, everyone started within five seconds of the race director yelling "go."

This was definitely not the traditional start that I was used to, but the course was certified, my Garmin ended up reading 3.13, and my gun time was accurate, so it all worked out.

I watched Greg immediately take the lead and I cheered for him as he passed by. I spent the next ten minutes continuing to warm up while waiting for the 5K to start. The race director returned to the park on his bike and then briefed the 5K runners about what to expect. I was glad I had watched the 10K first so I knew exactly how it would go. As he was giving his briefing, it started to rain. It was too late to grab my hat, and I hoped it would just be a light drizzle and not soak the course. But, as if on cue, as soon as the race director yelled "go," the rain began to fall in full force and I quickly became drenched.

Mile 1: 6:41
Note to self: courses with steep hills in the first half mile are not conducive to sub-20. I learned this on New Year's Day, only this hill was steeper--almost to the point of needing to walk. Once we got out of the park onto the bike path, I was relieved. But within just two minutes, there was another big hill which curved up and around. Totally unexpected. I did warm up on the course, but I had gone in the other direction on the trail. At the top of the hill we turned around and headed back toward the park. Now that these two hills were done with, I figured the rest of the course would be a lot easier.

I think I took these initial two hills too quickly and then paid for it later. Because I thought the course would be relatively flat, I assumed I would be able to recover from my hard pushes. But I never really recovered. It was also pouring. There was no mile marker, but my watched beeped 6:41 and I didn't judge it.

Mile 2: 6:44
From this point on, the course, which was a paved bike path was up and down and up and down. I'm used to road races where you might have a quarter mile stretch of up hill and then a long stretch of downhill. But in this case it was constantly undulating, with some longer stretches of up and down. There was not a single flat section. I'm not sure why I thought this would be a good sub-20 course. Clearly, it was not.

The rain compounded issues and I started running out of gas. I felt like I had nothing to give. I wanted to push hard, but I didn't have it in me to go any faster. I did, however, pass one of the three men that was ahead of me, which was a good feeling. No women were ahead of me, which seemed to be the only positive thing. There were a few bridges to run over which were slippery due to the rain. I slowed down a bit because I was paranoid about falling. There was no mile marker 2, but my Garmin beeped and showed a disappointing 6:44. A few weeks ago I had run a 3-mile tempo run at a pace of 6:44 and it felt awesome. Now, I felt totally gassed.

Mile 3: 6:52

The finish line: flattering photo, right?

At this point, the only thing that was motivating me was that I was in the lead. The second place woman seemed to be about 30 seconds behind me at the turnaround, and if she had a good kick it was possible she could catch me. I repeated to myself, keep winning the race, keep winning the race. I was mentally and physically defeated at this point and all I wanted was to keep my first place position through the finish.

And I did! I won the race in 21:08. I was the 3rd overall finisher, with just two men ahead of me.

I crossed the finish line and the race director handed me a plaque and a wine glass for winning. Normally they would do an awards ceremony type of thing, but it was pouring rain. I thanked him and then waited for Greg to finish the 10K. I knew I'd only have to wait about five minutes.

I saw a fast-looking man cross the line, and glanced down to see that he was wearing a 10K bib, and then Greg crossed just seconds behind him. Apparently Greg had been neck-and-neck with this guy the entire time, and he out-kicked Greg at the very end for the win. Greg ran a PR in 40:51. His 10K pace was faster than my 5K pace!

Final Thoughts
We were drenched and tired and decided to drive straight home instead of eating lunch in Fredericksbug as originally planned. I was happy that I won the race, but not pleased with my performance. With 131 feet of gain over just 3.1 miles, that course wasn't conducive to sub-20. I also think I am fighting off some kind of bug. If I had to do it over again, I would have been more conservative on those first two hills. The downpour was another unwelcome factor.

My Garmin's Elevation Data

I'm not sure I would have chosen this course if I had accurately interpreted the MapMyRun elevation profile; which looked a lot less intimidating than the actual Garmin data. There's a local 5K tomorrow on a course that I've run many times before that I probably would have chosen. That course is also quite challenging, but I'm familiar with it and probably could have set a course PR. On the other hand, I did end up with an overall win, which is rare for me.

Looking at the bigger picture, I am a bit discouraged about this whole sub-20 thing. I think it's going to only get harder for me as I get older (I turn 40 in November) and usually you don't hear about women who have been running for 15+ years finally breaking 20 once they turn 40. But we'll see. I'll try and train for it again this summer and hope that I can find a good course with good weather conditions.

My half marathon pace four weeks ago was 7:00, and this race averaged a pace of 6:45, which seems totally off. In fact, several of my miles in the half marathon were in the 6:40's. I've heard many runners say you can't be in shape for a 5K and also for the longer distances at the same time, but I haven't really started the bulk of my marathon training yet. So I'm not sure exactly what I am in shape for, if anything. Or maybe I am, but I'm truly fighting off some kind of illness.

In any event, I won. So I'll just be happy with that and focus on my next race, which is the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans half marathon in three weeks.

This made it worth the trip!

Even though the race had no mile markers or actual start line, it was well organized for a small, local race. The course was certified, there were aid stations, it was clear when to turn around, they took photos, and I liked the plaque that I won. If you're local, check out Bishop's Events.

Breaking Tape

Last Saturday, I won my first-ever 5K. Prior to this race, the only race I’d ever officially won was a 2-mile race at my college reunion in 2005.  And that was actually the first race I ever ran, period. (It was quite the foray into racing!)

Background

One of my best friends, Allison, asked me to run this race with her shortly before my March 29 marathon. I was excited about it and I told her I would, provided that my recovery went smoothly.

Three weeks after the marathon, I felt mostly recovered and ready to go. I asked my coach how I should approach the race and he told me that since I was feeling good, I could run it hard and see where my speed was.

Before the race

This race was more of a social opportunity than anything else. I hadn’t seen Allison in a while and we planned to go out for brunch after the race. It’s become customary for us to meet for lunch or coffee or something shortly after one of us runs a marathon so we can hear all the details from the other one. Added bonus: our mutual friend Liz was also running the race.

I met Allison at her place in Arlington and she drove us to the race at Hains point. We met up with Liz, warmed up for just over three miles and we were ready to go. Allison’s plan was to run it as a tempo, as this race occurred in the middle of a very heavy training week. Liz was going to run it as an easy run, as part of a longer run she was doing that day. Since my coach told me I should run it hard, I figured I might as well use it as an opportunity to practice a 5K pacing strategy. I had nothing to lose, since this wasn’t a target race, so I figured I would risk going out too fast and then bonking.

It was sunny (although parts of the course were shaded) and about 63 degrees. I’m not acclimated to warmth yet, and I find that I typically race slower than my peers when the weather heats up. I wore a sports bra and poured cold water over my head before starting.

Race start

Mile 1: 7:12

Allison and I lined up at the front and noticed that there weren’t many runners up there with us. Most people were sticking to the back. I had never lined up right at the front of a race before, but since nobody else was, I figured why not.  The race started and I took off pretty quickly. 

I felt rusty because I hadn’t done any speed work since the marathon. I took a full week of complete rest post-marathon, and week number two was extremely light. The third week had one stride workout, but was otherwise all slow, easy running. 

I pulled ahead of the pack and I knew that there were no women ahead of me. I wasn’t sure how close behind me Allison was, but I assumed she was very close.

Mile 2: 7:22

As I got into the second mile, I thought that my Garmin was lying to me. I felt like I was running a sub-7:00 pace but my Garmin was reading in the 7:20’s. Throughout my marathon training cycle, in the cold, my tempo pace was 7:15. But now I was running in the 7:20s and it was my 5K pace! I felt strong and energized, but the pace on the watch just didn’t correlate with my perception of effort. Toward the end of this mile, I passed two guys. It felt great!

Mile 3: 7:09

Things started to suck here, and I was ready for the race to be over. The only thing motivating me was the possibility of being the first female finisher. It was pretty exhilarating. I basically repeated to myself over and over again to keep up the effort. I didn’t care about the pace, I just wanted to push hard and run my best.

Approaching the finish line. That black tape on my knee is "sunscreen."

Last 0.1 to The finish (6:30 pace)

I was so excited to see finish line tape! I only had a few seconds to figure out how to put my arms and how to make a good finisher’s photo, but that suddenly became my main focus when I saw the tape. I ran through it and turned around to watch Allison finish. I was 99% sure that she was right behind me and that there were no runners in between us.

She finished strong and executed according to plan, as did Liz.

The only photo they got of me was from behind!

After the race

The three of us cooled down for a mile and then returned back for the awards ceremony.

Post-race cool down. Beautiful day!

We received medals and a photo opp with Miss Teen District of Columbia. It was a beautiful day for easy running and an awards ceremony!

Awards ceremony. 1-2 finish!

Once we received our medals we walked back to the car and went out to brunch. It was awesome to catch up to talk about her upcoming marathon and my recently finished marathon.

Now that I know where my speed is, I'm hoping to improve on it over the summer. I have three 5K races planned between now and July, and my training will specifically target that distance.